Lake Country Wind Energy announces that it has secured nearly 25,000 acres for the development of its 340 megawatt community owned project in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota. This is over three fourths of the acres needed to complete the project's site control effort.

Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC and National Wind announce that nearly 25,000 acres of land have been secured for the project.

The acres leased in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties represent over three-quarters of the land needed to develop the 340 megawatt (MW) community-owned wind farm. The project's goal is to sign 30,000 acres.

With nearly 25,000 acres signed, Lake Country has made substantial progress since its formation in the summer of 2008. Field Specialist Jan Donahue was especially productive, signing over 13,000 acres in the past year. Currently Lake Country Wind Energy has just over 150 participating landowners.

"Lake Country has reached a number of important milestones over the past year," Donahue says. "The amount of acres signed is the obvious highlight, but no less important is that we've now collected over a year's worth of wind data from the footprint's meteorological tower. With that data, our wind assessments team will be able to place our turbines in the most efficient way possible."

Construction on the wind farm will take place over the course of 3-4 separate phases. The first of these phases is tentatively scheduled to go online in 2011. It is expected to deliver 40 MW of electricity to the grid and include 20, 2.05 megawatt REpower wind turbines. The project is continuing to reach out to landowners in the footprint, specifically in the townships of Acton, Swede Grove, Harrison, Gennessee, Green Lake, and Kandiyohi.

"Residents in the area have been very enthusiastic about Lake Country from the beginning," adds Donahue. "We appreciate both the great reception we've received and the continued support from the community. It's support like this that will bring Lake Country across the finish line."
If you are interested in learning more about Lake Country Wind Energy, please contact Jan Donahue. You can reach Jan through our office, located in the Atwater Equipment Building, at 604 Pleasant Ave. West or by phone at 320-295-7570.

About Lake Country Wind Energy:
Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC is a community-based wind development company located in Meeker and Kadiyohi Counties, Minnesota. Our company's objective is to develop up to 340 MW of wind turbine-based renewable energy. Our development commitment is to produce wind energy projects that are sustainable, generational and environmentally responsible. Our financial commitment is to assure that the financial benefits are shared with our local stockholders, area land owners and the surrounding community. Visit our website at www.LakeCountryWindEnergy.com.

About National Wind:
National Wind is the leader in developing utility-scale (50 megawatts or larger) community wind energy projects. We form powerful community wind energy partnerships with property owners, assuring that the project's economic benefits are shared with the surrounding community. National Wind and its subsidiary, Wind Energy Developers, LLC, have participated in developing 13 wind energy projects and currently have over 4,000 megawatts in active development. National Wind projects are located in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado and Ohio. The company has an additional 1,500 megawatts of wind energy in advanced feasibility study stages and is continually exploring expansion opportunities in other states. Please visit www.nationalwind.com for more information.

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